Mysterious ways

Katie Pierson is a 20-year-old sweetheart with beauty queen good looks and a personality to match. This year she's studying abroad in Spain, and her mom told me a story yesterday that I just have to share. It goes something like this:

A few days ago, Katie went to a store near her home in Sevilla to buy some food. The place was really busy, so when it came time for her to pay she hurriedly handed over the amount without thinking about it. Before setting out on the return trip, she tucked a candy bar inside her backpack; the rest she carried in her arms. On the walk home, Katie noticed a couple of small children digging through a dumpster. The two children were skinny, dirty, and clearly very hungry. The road was busy with passersby, yet the air was filled with silence. Nobody spoke. Nobody coughed. Nobody gave the starving youngsters a second glance. Nobody, that is, except Katie. She walked over and handed the children everything she had worked so hard to buy. The children readily accepted the gift, showering Katie with gratitude, and at the same time, the people who witnessed the generous act began shooting her dirty looks. It was as though they believed her act of compassion was done out of arrogance. Katie continued home, unsure of where the children disappeared to or if she'd ever see them again. A little while after arriving in her room, she pulled the candy bar out of her backpack and began examining the receipt. She then discovered that, during the chaos at the busy store, she had actually only been charged for the candy she was holding in her hands. Everything else -- all the food she had given away -- was not on there. It was as though God meant for her to deliver those goods to the starving children. It was a miracle.

I almost started crying when I heard this story. All day I'd been fighting back tears of frustration and anger, but after hearing this act of selflessness I realized that everything I'd been feeling was still for me... I was frustrated for me, sad for me, angry for me. There's a girl halfway across the world who willingly gave everything in her grasp to those in need, yet I still struggle to keep my mind off my own little problems. It's stupid. Katie's story has inspired me to be more loving to my fellow man, and I hope by sharing it on here, others will do so as well.